2025 Shark Calendar Species

1. Taiwan Saddled Carpetshark (Cirrhoscyllium formosanum)
   The Taiwan saddled carpetshark is an endemic species only found on the west coast of Taiwan. They are small, thin sharks with a long tail. They only grow to about 39 cm long. Only 12 specimens have ever been recorded. Because of this, the species is considered “Data Deficient”, which means though possibly overfished, they are not getting the protection they need.

2. Whitespotted Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)
   The bamboo sharks get their name from the black and white striped patterns on their body, resembling segments of bamboo. They are small sharks that can grow up to about one meter. They are bottom dwellers that inhabit coral reefs and sandy areas. They move slowly and feed on crustaceans and small fish. They are oviparous sharks, which means they lay eggs. The egg cases have tendrils that secure them to the reef to prevent them from being washed away. Each egg case contains one pup, the pup lives inside the case and eats the yolk to grow big. They hatch after about three months.

3. Megamouth Shark (Megachasma pelagio)
   The megamouth shark gets its name from its huge mouth. They stay in deep waters during the day and rise to shallower surfaces at night to feed. They take big gulps of seawater and filter it for food. The white mark on their upper jaw glows at night, which attracts plankton, which they then consume in large mouthfuls! They primarily feed on zooplankton such as jellyfish and krill. These sharks are rarely seen. The east coast of Taiwan is possibly a breeding ground for them.

4. Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
   Although goblin sharks have been living in the deep ocean, relatively unchanged for over 125 million years, not a great deal is known about these rare sharks. The fearsome name comes from their pink-purplish skin, long pointy snout and unique hunting strategy. Goblin sharks thrust their jaw out of their mouth to catch prey.

5. Coral Catshark (Atelomycterus marmoratus)
   The coral catshark is a vibrantly-colored shark. Their pattern provides camouflage as they swim through the coral reef. They are small-sized sharks that only reach about 70 cm in length. They eat invertebrates and small fish.

6. Spottail Shark (Carcharhinus sorrah)
   The spottail shark is a spindle-shaped shark that can grow to approximately 1.6 m long. They can live up to 8 years. They like to eat bony fishes such as bonito and sea bass, as well as octopi.

7. Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata)
   Leopard sharks are named after the black spots on their back. This long, slim shark lives on the sandy bottoms of the ocean. Leopard sharks are remarkably social. They like to hang out in groups, and they are also often found hanging out with other kinds of shark of their size.

8. Kitefin Shark (Dalatias licha)
   Kitefin sharks live 1,000 meters underwater in the twilight zone. Little light reaches where they live, so they glow in the dark to attract prey. They are the largest bioluminescent vertebrate in the world.

9. Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
   The whale shark is the largest shark and the largest fish in the world, growing up to 20 meters long! Their mouths are large but there are no sharp teeth inside them. They filter feed on plankton and small fish and by swimming while sucking in water. Whale sharks can give birth to up to three hundred pups at a time, which makes them the most prolific shark.

10. Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)
    The whitetip reef shark got its name from the white tip on its dorsal and caudal fins. They can be found hiding under coral or in caves. They like to cuddle. You can often see them pile on top of each other.
    They do not need to constantly swim to breathe, so they can lay motionless for hours. They often return to the same home cave for days or weeks at a time. They rest during the day, and go hunting at night.

11. Japanese Sawshark (Pristiophorus japonicus)
    Sawsharks are rare and unique sharks. They are named for their long snouts, which have sharp teeth sticking out from both sides. They attack their prey by slashing their “saw” from side to side. Sawsharks are sharks, while sawfish are rays. The main difference is where the gills are located: Sawsharks have gills on the sides of their head while sawfish have gills on the belly. Also, sawsharks have a pair of long barbels on their saw, which they use to feel along the ocean bottom. Sawfish do not have them.

12 Taiwan Angelshark (Squatina formosa)
Angel sharks are flat-bodied sharks with big fins that make them look like rays. They usually have small white and black dots on their back to help them camouflage into the sandy or muddy ocean floor where they live. They bury themselves in the sand, with only their eyes sticking out to ambush unsuspecting prey that swim by.

13. Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus)
    The broadnose sevengill shark got its name from the presence of seven pairs of gill openings, compared to the five gills of most other sharks. They can reach 3 meters long and weigh up to 107 kilograms. They are deep sea sharks. Because they live at depths, little is known about them.

14. Sarawak Swellshark (Cephaloscyllium sarawakensis)
    Swellsharks can inflate their stomach with water or air as a defense mechanism against predators. Sarawak swellsharks have a unique mode of reproduction called ”sustained single oviparity”: they only have one single egg case in each oviduct until the embryo reaches a certain length. This allows them to mature faster than larger species. Another unique thing about this shark is that their egg cases are transparent!

15. Sharptooth Lemon Shark (Negaprion acutidens)
    The lemon shark got its name by the yellowish body color. They do not migrate far, and often stay in the same place. They feed on smaller sharks, stingrays and bony fish.

16. Bigeye Thresher Shark (Alopias superciliosus)
    Thresher sharks have a very long tail fin. They use the whip-like tail fin to herd and trap schooling fish by swimming in smaller and smaller circles. They then stun the fishes by whipping the tail. Even though they are expert hunters, thresher sharks are very shy.

17. Blue Shark (Prionace glauca)
    The blue sharks are named for their beautiful blue color. They have a long, sleek body which makes them one of the fastest swimming sharks. They are curious animals, known to approach divers and boats. Because of their curiosity, they are also one of the most fished shark species, and their populations have dropped by 80 percent. They are now listed in CITES appendix II, banned from international trading.

18. Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
    Hammerhead sharks are named after their hammer-shaped heads. The unique shape of their head helps them see better than other sharks. They have almost 360-degree vision and can see what is above, below, and behind them. Their favorite food is stingrays. They use a pinning technique to hunt. When they find a ray, they use their flat, T-shaped head to pin them to the ocean floor. They can also use their head to unbury prey that are hiding on the seabed.

19. Viper Dogfish (Trigonognathus kabeyaie)
    The viper dogfish are small deep sea sharks. They grow up to about 30 centimeters long. They stay at the depth of 300 - 400 m underwater at night, and swim closer to the surface at 150 m during the day. Viper dogfish capture their prey by extending their jaw and have needle-like teeth. They can consume prey half their size, and they most likely swallow their prey whole. They're only found in Japan, Taiwan, and Hawaii.